Democratic Diffusion under the Magnifying Glass: A Micro-perspective on the Change of Attitudes toward Democratic Governance through Transnational Linkages in Authoritarian Context.

Students of democratic diffusion argue that strong ties to democracies foster political transformation in
non
-
democ
ratic regimes. They theoretically specify a long causal chain linking the micro
-
phenomenon
of the democratic socialization of individual agents to the macro
-
phenomenon of regime
-
type change.
However, we know little about the extent to which and the conditi
ons under which transnational
linkages familiarize domestic agents with democratic rules and practices. This paper empirically
scrutinizes the micro
-
foundation of the democratic diffusion argument by analyzing the impact of
social linkage (international ed
ucation) and communication linkage (foreign media) on the attitudes
toward democratic governance of state officials in the stable authoritarian regime of Morocco. As the
machinery of government bureaucracy is particularly relevant for democratic change. Ho
wever,
bureaucrats, as direct beneficiaries of the incumbent regime, usually prefer the status quo. The results
challenge the democratization potential of transnational linkages. Multiple regression analyses based
on original survey data produce little sup
porting evidence for a democratizing effect of media
broadcasting and international education on the attitudes of Moroccan state officials. While it appears
that study visits to democracies have no statistically significant effect, foreign media can positi
vely
shape a state official’s attitude, but only in non
-
politicized policy fields.